By Lance Roth

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. — The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters split Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at Historic Witter Field, rallying for a 9-8 victory in the opener before falling 8-7 in the nightcap.

The Rafters offense produced 20 hits and 16 runs across the two games, highlighted by timely home runs and multiple late-inning rallies throughout the day.

Game one featured one of Wisconsin Rapids’ biggest comeback victories of the season. Fond du Lac jumped ahead with a seven-run second inning, fueled by strong offensive production throughout the lineup. JJ Nielsen provided the lone home run of the inning, while Carter Kelley, Quincy Mazeke, Thomas Googins and Jay Campbell helped build the early advantage with timely hits.

Wisconsin Rapids responded immediately with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Erick Soto delivered a two-run double before Bennett Crerar followed with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 7-4.

The Rafters completed the comeback in the sixth inning. Aidan Thaxton started the inning with a solo home run before Bennett Crerar singled to left field. Nolan Stevens then put Wisconsin Rapids ahead with a two-run shot that hit off the top of the wall in left field, giving the Rafters a 9-8 lead. Josh Novak entered to record the save, allowing just one hit while striking out two batters to seal the comeback victory.

While the offense fueled the comeback, Jackson Molloy stabilized the game after entering in relief of Tristin Crusenberry in the second inning. Molloy earned his second victory of the season after tossing 4.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out three and throwing a season-high 86 pitches.

Game two saw the Rafters once again battle back after falling behind early, but Fond du Lac held on late for an 8-7 victory. After the Dock Spiders built a 5-1 advantage through the first three innings, Wisconsin Rapids began its comeback in the fourth inning when Danny Gavin launched a solo home run to right field, his first of the season.

The Rafters added two more runs in the fifth inning, with both coming off home runs. Harrison Engskov continued to make an impact in his return to Witter Field, launching his second home run of the day deep to right-center field. Gunnar Dillard followed with his second home run of the season, sending a deep shot to right field to cut the deficit to one.

Wisconsin Rapids completed its comeback in the sixth inning with a three-run rally to take its first lead of the game. After David Ketterman drew a walk to start the inning, Esteban Olazaba struck out before Engskov singled to left field and Nolan Stevens followed with an RBI single to bring Ketterman home. Dillard then delivered the biggest hit of the inning, lining a two-run single to right field that scored Engskov and Stevens, giving the Rafters a 7-6 advantage heading into the final inning.

Fond du Lac responded in the seventh inning, taking advantage of free baserunners and defensive miscues to regain the lead. After walks to Patrick Graham and JJ Nielsen loaded the bases, a pair of errors allowed two unearned runs to cross the plate, giving the Dock Spiders an 8-7 advantage. Wisconsin Rapids was unable to answer in the bottom half of the inning, dropping the nightcap despite another strong offensive performance.

With the split, the Rafters now sit at 15-37 on the season and 5-13 in the second half, looking to turn things around down the stretch. Wisconsin Rapids will look to carry the momentum from Wednesday’s offensive performance into back-to-back doubleheaders against the Duluth Huskies. The Rafters will host two nine-inning games Thursday, with the first game scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT and the second game set for 6:35 p.m. CT at Historic Witter Field.